Diane de Poytiers

Diane de Poytiers

At the beginning, this is Charlotte, the grandmother of the actual manager who created a biscuit factory named « Aux Délices ». Later, her husband Antonin, decided to change the name.

Combining his passion for history with his researches, he turned to the local past of Montélimar and renamed the biscuit factory « Diane de Poytiers » thinking that she would be a beautiful ambassador for their futur nougat factory.

Indeed, Diane de Poytiers, Duchess of Dauphinois, marked the history of Montélimar. She owned a lot of properties in the region, especially a dwelling, place of the town hall at Montélimar, which bears his name, with a Renaissance facade and mullioned windows. Inside, we can see a D and a F that intertwine. Currently only this 16th century house and a street still bear the name of Diane de Poytiers.

Now a day this is Frédéric Chambonnière that took over the family business. Third generation craftsman nougatier, he maintains the know-how and the family motto: « Favor the use local and authentic products for a better control of the quality of the raw ingredients. »

The nougat is artisanally cooked 2 hours in a copper cauldron, the presence of men is obligatory because it’s necessary to control the cooking temperature of the sugar. At Diane de Poytiers, even the packaging is made by hand.

Over the time, Frédéric Chambonnière surrounded himself with a team composed of a dozen people and produces 75 tons of nougat each year.

Today, Diane de Poytiers offers a range of over 100 products, nougats are sold in pasteries, delicatessens, regional products shop, great chocolatier…

« A quality product is the result of the know-how of a handful of men who work together to preserve the simple and authentic taste of the products of our region. »